Island Adventurous
by Vinatoya
Summary: Sindbad and his crew are on the waters again. Only this time, they have to face a much greater deal. People go missing, others are found. How will it all turn out? It depends on one word only: Fidelity.


**Whoo! Ca fait un bail que j'ai pas mis les pieds sur FF, en tout cas, pour publier. Procrastination, quand tu nous tiens...**

**Bref, je vais chercher mes pilules contre le racontage de vie.**

**Pour mes quelques lecteurs, voici un petit "conte" que notre professeur d'Anglais nous a demandé d'écrire; de réécrire, plutôt. Mon amie et moi avons choisi Sindbad, des Mille Et Une Nuits. En passant, allez voir le profil de Paroxymore, ça fait un bout de temps qu'elle ne publie plus et des reviews gentilles lui en donneraient l'envie. Pour le bonheur de tous -surtout moi ^^.**

**Trêve de paroles inutiles, dites nous ce que vous en pensez.**

**Les mots arabes sont en gras et traduits/expliqués en bas de page.**

**Si vous voulez que je traduise en totalité le conte, demandez :)**

...

**ISLAND ADVENTUROUS**

Sahara desert, year 2030

*All right, let's sit down and turn on this computer*

-Habiiiiib, come here and help me with this **efrit**! Said the old lady.

-Grandma! It's simple; you should've learnt by know. First, you press that big "power" button. Then, you look up the story you want. Which one would you like, now?

The lady squinted her eyebrows for a minute, hummed and said: "Sindbad, the Incorruptible Sailor", the 2009 version.

-All right, here you go.

The young boy cleared his throat and started reading for his old beloved -and visually impaired- grandmother:

Long long ago, in a foreign island, lived a-

-Wait up, young boy! What kind of a story is this? Where is **Shahrazad**?

-Ugh... Gram's! This girl is so old-fashioned... But since you like her so much... Let's do it, now. and don't interrupt anymore.

Morning now dawned and Shahrazad broke off from what she had been allowed to say. Then, when it was the third thousandth night she continued:

I have heard, O fortunate king, that Sindbad began to tell of his adventures and experiences. He said:

I have lived the most terrifying and interesting voyage of my life so far, yet I have travelled a lot.

After a week spent with my family, the crew and I got back on the ship and prepared for d a new trip.

As the first day of May started, we landed on a stranded island. The captain accosted, and we got off the boat. Few members went in search of sustenance to gather up and some, including me, went to discover the place.

It was a place such as I have never seen before. Thick lianas tangled up and prevented the sunlight from passing through. The ground was humid and crickets chanted in unison. Huge trees were waving to the breeze and unknown animals were peeking through the treetops.

The day was ending, and the weather got cooler. The whole crew gathered on the shore and we shared our thoughts on the odd yet mystical place this island was.

The next morning, we continued our exploration. I was about to ask Selim to climb a palm tree in order to get coconuts... But I couldn't find him anywhere. We kept looking and looking for him for hours but still no sign of life.

We thought maybe he got lost in this unknown maze. So every morning, we send two men to circle the island. After the third day, we started to really worry about him. We evoked the possibility of his death.

Food stocks rarefied so I requested that Hariri and I go get coconuts, since Selim was, you know... Supposedly dead.

-Sir, this palm tree looks good enough. Why don't you wait for me down here while I go get them? Suggested Hariri.

- All right, I said, but make it quick, before the sun goes down on us.

Hariri was the kind of man that could climb anything. You may take wooden floors and set it to 90°, that this freak would climb it anyways... After a few seconds, he jumped back on the ground and opened round eyes in astonishment. I asked him what was wrong. He answered:

- I... I... found this object stuck between two coconuts.

He showed me a shiny little box, with **tarz** on it. I took it, it was a bit heavy and tinted when you shoke it.

-What do you think it is? I said.

-Well, it looks expensive. Maybe we could estimate it and draw full benefits...

We went back to the camp and showed everyone else the treasure. We ate the coco's flesh and drank its juice. The moon was full and we silently went to sleep. I kept the box close to me, scared to lose it in all this sand. I was woken up in the middle of the night by some strong blue light. I slowly opened my eyes and saw a pair of **Gnaoua** as tall as my little finger. They were poking my left arm with their instruments and were wearing traditional clothing: **Djellabas**. The first one parted his lips and I could hear a high-pitched voice saying: "Yo, bro'! Wassup? Thanks for getting us out outta there. We were dying, man! So? What brings you here?"

He was dressed as an adult, and surely looked like one, but his language was worse that a teenage gangster's. I could perceive a gold tooth when he smiled at me. Okay, sindbaddie, you're lost on a desert island, but don't you lose your mind! I blinked twice, rubbed my eyes and sat on my knees. The two clowns were still there, starring at me. I finally managed to say something:

- Who are you guys? And where are you coming from?

- WE? WE? We are the best Gnaoua in the whole island, maaaan!

They were, above all, the only ones...

-Now, what about you, man? What are you and those chapters of yours doing here?

-Actually, we are exploring the island.

-Uhuuun... I see.

Gnaoua n°1 scratched his belly and sat on the sand. For the first time, Gnaoua n°2 was about to say something but the first threw a handful of sand at him. I started to get tired of calling them "Gnaoua" so I asked for their names.

-You can call me "**Bouzebbal**". This moron here... You can call him "**Achiri**"!

-I'm Sindbad. It's nice to meet you guys, but... What are you exactly?

-WE are the small-scale representation of an illustrious lordship... That happens to be us.

Well, well... He can actually talk like a grown-up... Bouzebbal kept looking at me and suddenly giggled.

-I was just playin' with ya, maaan! Come down here, you skyscraper, and I'll tell you what I am.

Maybe not, after all... I bent over in apprehension and listened to him.

-We, my friend, are the last survivors of the "Argan Oil" tribe. It's the oldest tribe of all times. We possess an ancestral know-how in terms of... Magic...

He whispered this last word and I felt unexplainable chills all over my body. I asked him what happened to the rest of his companions. He said:

-It's a long story, maaan. I'll tell ya some time later. But I still have one thing for my bro'! Since ya appear to be our... Savior; I promise to help you whenever you need. At least, as long as you stay on _Sharifa_.

I raised an eyebrow and later found out he gave the island a name. The next morning, I introduced the two characters to my crew. They really liked them and kind of cheered up the mood. Few days went by and weird things started to happen. Remember my friend Selim? "The reportedly missing dude" as would say Bouzebbal? Well, he showed up, out of nowhere. And I can assure you that it is not the Selim we used to know. He was in trance and acted oddly, never talked to us. In the afternoon, Hariri came to me, running:

-**Ya sidi! Ya sidi**! We should leave the island! I think it's HAUNTED!

-Calm down, my friend. Tell me what happened.

-I.. I.. Samy and Mehdi disappeared! Just like Selim few days ago! **Allah'u'akkbar**! If we don't go now, we're all going to die!

I couldn't believe what I just heard. I was shocked. Lost. But these were my men; I didn't have the right to let them down in such a terrible moment.

-All right, Hariri. Keep calm and go gather the guys. Count them and make sure no one else is missing. Pack up our stuff. Tell Yannis, Karim, Youssef and Rambo to come, we'll go look for them. Remember, nobody moves from the shore.

He nodded and left. As for me, I ran to the entry of the forest and took the shiny box where Bouzebbal and Achiri were sleeping.

-Boys! I need your help. Some men of mine disappeared.

I put the box in my pocket, joined Yannis and the others. We sank into the forest.

-MEHDIIIII! SAMYYY! WHERE ARE YOU?

We kept looking and looking until we ended up in front of a huge stone door. I walked up to it and heard some sort of strange melody. Yannis told me:

-It sounds just like the mermaids in Pirates of the Caribbean! Maybe they are real, after all...

We entered carefully. Suddenly, we were pushed aside and started falling down. I feared the moment when we all smash like flies but we dived in a cold river. I checked if everybody was alright.

I felt my pocket move. Achiri was standing in front of me:

-Sindba- Sir! I know what happened to you men! 60 years ago, this island was inhabited. It was a patriarchal community so the women didn't occupy a huge spot. Tired of this situation, women wanted things to change. They gathered and decided to show the men that they were important too by ignoring them. It was like a huge strike. No more "What do you want to eat for dinner" or "Should I iron your shirt" or "Baby, go take a shower" and even less "Let's have a baby". Men did not see it the same eye and basically... Had affairs. The women were so angry their plans didn't turn out right. They turned into furies forever; to haunt torture and kill unfaithful husbands. They may have not killed your friend Selim, but they sucked the life out of him. I'm sorry to be so straightforward, but I doubt you'll ever see neither Mehdi nor Samy alive...

I looked at Youssef. It seemed like he was in awe of something. I don't know what. My eyes fell upon Yannis. He had the same face and was looking in the same direction. I could hear Karim and Rambo whisper prayers. What in the name of God are they seeing, that I am not? As if Achiri read my mind, he said:

-You can't see them, can you? It means you're safe. Your soul is pure and away from all dangers. I'm sure they can't see you either. But bid goodbye to your fellow crew members... If they can see them, it means they have been unfaithful to their wives, and according to the furies, they must suffer until they die.

I heard a loud roar coming from above. I think it was the furies. The roar kept getting louder and louder.

-YOU!

Achiri told me the furies were making Youssef confess his adultery. I looked at my friend, sadness filling my heart. Why did you do that, Youssef? Good God, why?

-YOU! FOR THE CRIME YOU COMMITED, YOU SHALL SUFFER AND DIE. SAY IT! SAY IT OUT LOUD!

Youssef was crying, terrified.

-SAY IT!

-I... I... Cheated on my wife. I did, but-

He didn't have the time to finish his sentence; he was lifted in the air and disappeared in a groan of pain. I was agape. I couldn't believe what I just saw. Achiri was pulling on my jacket.

-Sir, he whispered, let's get away from here before they tumble the place down. Don't make a sound and move slowly. Follow me! Quick!

I was still shaking but I managed to get out of the water and silently walk toward wherever Achiri was leading me. Finally we got back on the shore. The crew was still waiting for me. Bouzebbal also got out of the box and the two Gnaoua told me:

-Sindbad, it was a pleasure meeting you, but you must leave if you want to save your equipage. They are sailors and often away from their homes. It is understandable that they feel a little lonely sometimes but the furies would never spare their lives. Go now, go!

I made my farewells to the Gnaoua and the rest of us rushed on the boat toward another island to explore.

...

Glossaire:

**Efrit: **Démon, diablotin / Demon, evil.

**Sherazade: **Narratrice des Mille Et Une Nuits / Story teller of the One Thousand And One Nights

**Tarz:** Broderies / Embroidery.

**Gnaoua**: Les Gnaoua jouent de la musique hypnotique, marquée par des mélodies rythmiques graves, d'appels et de réponse des chants, battements de mains.. /Gnaoua play deeply hypnotic trance music, marked by low-toned, rhythmic melodies, call-and-response singing, hand clapping.

**Djellaba: **Robe longue unisexe / Long unisex dress

**Bouzebbal, Achiri, Sharifa:** Surnoms / Nicknames.

**Ya Sidi! Ya Sidi!: **Monsieur, monsieur! / Sir, Sir!

**Allah'u'akkbar: **Littéralement: Dieu est grand, à traduire par: Oh mon Dieu! / Litteraly: God is great, equivalent: Oh my God!

Merci d'avoir lu jusqu'au bout :)


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